(1) Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a document comprehension support apparatus adapted to generate a summarized text from an original text, in which the summarized text is output to help the user easily comprehend the contents of the original text. The present invention relates to a method of generating a summarized text from an original text, which is carried out by a document comprehension support apparatus. Further, the present invention relates to a computer readable medium storing program code instructions which cause a processor of a document comprehension support apparatus to execute a document comprehension support processing.
(2) Description of the Related Art
A computer-based document comprehension support apparatus which functions to generate a summarized text, or topic sentences, from an original text of a document is known. In the known document comprehension support apparatus, the summarized text may be displayed on a display device or stored in a memory device, in order to help the user easily comprehend the contents of the original text.
Japanese Laid-Open Patent Application No. 3-191475 discloses a document comprehension support apparatus in which an original text is divided into paragraphs with their headings. Important sentences are collected from each of the paragraphs by using predetermined sentence extraction rules selected for each heading. A set of the headings and the collected important sentences are generated as a summarized text of the original text.
Japanese Laid-Open Patent Application No. 2-254566 discloses a document comprehension support apparatus in which an original text is divided into processing units. In this apparatus, a sentence structure analysis is carried out using a sentence structure dictionary. By calculating a large amount of statistical indexes, such as a word frequency, and using a large number of sentence extraction rules, a summarized text is generated from the original text.
Japanese Laid-Open Patent Application No. 63-298563 discloses a document comprehension support apparatus. In this apparatus, an original text is divided into summarizing processing units. Before outputting a summarized text, a summarizing range of the original text and a summarizing method for generating a summarized text from each of the processing units must be designated by the user by using an input device.
In the apparatus disclosed in the above publication No. 3-191475, it is difficult to provide an effective, easy-to-use tool for the user when searching for a summarized text of the original text. The summarized text, output by this apparatus, is arranged in the form depending on the form of the original text. The summarized text arranged in such a form is less effective in helping the user comprehend the contents of the original text from the summarized text. Further, the apparatus of this publication is unable to display a relevant part of the original text, corresponding to the summarized text, on the display device when the user desires to review it.
In the apparatus disclosed in the above publication No. 2-254566, it is necessary to incorporate the sentence structure analysis device, the sentence extraction rules, the sentence structure dictionary and others. The apparatus of this publication has to be constructed in a complicated structure with a bulky size. A relative long processing time is needed for the sentence structure analysis and the calculations of the statistical indexes.
In the apparatus disclosed in the above publication No. 63-298563, the designation of a summarizing range and the designation of a summarizing method have to be input by the user. The apparatus of this publication is unable to automatically generate a summarized text from the original text without inputting such designations. It is difficult for the apparatus of this publication to provide an effective, easy-to-use tool for the user in searching for a desired part of not only the summarized text but also the original text.
An object of the present invention is to provide an improved document comprehension support apparatus and method in which the above-mentioned problems are eliminated.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a document comprehension support apparatus which can be constructed in a simple structure with a small system size, requires only a short processing time to generate a summarized text from an original text, and provides an effective, easy-to-use tool for the user in searching for a desired part of not only the summarized text but also the original text.
Still another object of the present invention is to provide a method of generating a summarized text from an original text, which requires only a short processing time to generate the summarized text from the original text, and provides an effective, easy-to-use tool for the user in searching for a desired part of not only the summarized text but also the original text.
A further object of the present invention is to provide a computer readable medium storing program code for causing a processor to execute a document comprehension support processing, which requires only a short processing time to generate a summarized text from an original text, and provides an effective, easy-to-use tool for the user in searching for a desired part of not only the summarized text but also the original text.
The above-mentioned objects of the present invention are achieved by a document comprehension support apparatus which includes: an original text analysis unit which divides an original text into significance paragraphs, the significance paragraphs being separated from each other at boundaries that are determined based on sums of points rated for individual sentences in the original text, each significance paragraph containing a group of sentences; and a summarized text generating unit which calculates a sum of significance indexes for each of the individual sentences contained in the significance paragraphs produced by the original text analysis unit, and generates a summarized text from each of the significance paragraphs, the summarized text containing only a predetermined number of sentences selected in order of the calculated sum of significance indexes.
The above-mentioned objects of the present invention are achieved by a method of generating a summarized text from an original text, which includes the steps of: dividing an original text into significance paragraphs, the significance paragraphs being separated from each other at boundaries that are determined based on sums of points rated for individual sentences in the original text, each significance paragraph containing a group of sentences; calculating a sum of significance indexes for each of the individual sentences contained in the significance paragraphs; and generating a summarized text from each of the significance paragraphs, the summarized text containing only a predetermined number of sentences selected in order of the calculated sum of significance indexes.
The above-mentioned objects of the present invention are achieved by a computer readable medium storing program code for causing a processor to execute a document comprehension support processing, which includes: a first program code unit which causes the processor to divide an original text into significance paragraphs, the significance paragraphs being separated from each other at boundaries that are determined based on sums of points rated for individual sentences in the original text, each significance paragraph containing a group of sentences; a second program code unit which causes the processor to calculate a sum of significance indexes for each of the individual sentences contained in the significance paragraphs produced by the first program code unit; and a third program code unit which causes the processor to generate a summarized text from each of the significance paragraphs, the summarized text containing only a predetermined number of sentences selected in order of the calculated sum of significance indexes.
It is possible that the document comprehension support apparatus of the present invention be constructed in a simple structure with a small system size. The sentence structure analysis and a large amount of statistical indexes as in the conventional apparatus of the above publications are not required to generate the summarized text from the original text. The apparatus and method according to the present invention requires only a short processing time to generate the summarized text from the original text. It is possible for the apparatus and method of the present invention to provide an effective, easy-to-use tool for the user in searching for a desired part of not only the summarized text but also the original text.